Chapter 14: The Underdog Will Rise

"This is my first exam—I'm a bit nervous. I wonder if the questions will be hard."

"Hopefully not. If I fail, I'll get a beating when I go home."

"That shouldn't happen. Didn't Muyue-sensei give us a mock test? Passing should be easy enough."

Maybe because it was their first exam, many students in Class 1-1 were a little tense.

They worried the questions would be too hard, worried that bad results would mean a scolding at home.

"Hongdou, Shenyue Chuyun, are you nervous?" Gangzitie asked Shenyue Chuyun.

"What's there to be nervous about? It's just a little test. Watch me ace it easily." Hongdou said with a grin.

"Of course you're not nervous? This is different from usual—the results will be posted publicly." Shenyue Chuyun replied.

"I'm a little nervous too. I only got 80 on Yusheng-sensei's last mock test. The real exam should be harder, so I'll probably only score in the 60s or 70s." Gangzitie nodded.

"My mock score was a bit better than yours—87. But I also feel like this time I'll only get 60 or 70." Shenyue Chuyun said with a wry expression.

"Wait, you both scored that high?" Hongdou was dumbfounded; with all her confidence, she had only gotten a little over 60 on the last mock.

"Mock results are fake. They don't count." Shenyue Chuyun sighed.

"Let's try to do well. Then the average will be higher. I heard that if the scores are too bad, they might replace our teacher. Then we won't have Muyue-sensei anymore." Gangzitie shared the rumor he'd heard.

"Replace the teacher? They can replace other teachers, but not Yusheng-sensei." Hongdou didn't want Muyue to leave.

Although she was the homeroom teacher, Muyue only taught more classes in Class 1; not all classes were taught by Muyue—there were several other teachers too.

"Yeah, the other teachers' classes are so boring. Only Yusheng-sensei's lessons are fun and easy to understand." Shenyue Chuyun agreed.

"Why don't we tell the whole class this news and motivate everyone?" Shenyue Chuyun thought of a good idea—he'd read in novels that you need to boost morale before a big battle.

Hongdou thought it was a good idea, so she stood up right there and announced it to the class.

Hongdou's words caused a stir in the classroom; Muyue was their most beloved and respected teacher.

"Everyone, work hard on the exam. If Muyue-sensei leaves and we get a boring teacher like the Taijutsu teacher, won't that be awful?" Gangzitie took the chance to shout.

"We'll work hard to do well—we absolutely won't let Muyue-sensei be replaced!"

"I'll say it straight: if anyone fails this time, I'll look down on them. Muyue-sensei explained everything so well."

Shisui didn't join in. It didn't matter—he would step up and take first place in the whole grade. With a student's results like that, they naturally wouldn't replace the teacher.

"Everyone, quiet down. The exam is about to start. Just do your best."

Muyue's voice suddenly appeared, and the classroom instantly fell silent. Everyone looked toward the sound and saw Muyue standing at the door, though no one knew when he had arrived.

"I believe you can all get good results." Muyue said with a smile. He didn't stay long and soon went to the class he was assigned to proctor.

Seeing so many students working hard to do well so he could keep teaching, Muyue was naturally pleased.

But Muyue could only say they were worrying for nothing. Even if they did change teachers, it would be based on the whole semester or the entire school year.

Besides, the mock papers Muyue had given them were actually harder than the real exam.

Entering Class 4-2, Muyue walked straight to the podium and announced, "Everyone quiet down. The exam is about to begin."

Teacher assignments for proctoring were random, and he happened to be proctoring Class 4-2.

"Muyue-sensei."

Many students in Class 4-2 greeted Muyue, and he responded with a smile and a nod to each.

Not only were Obito and Might Guy his disciples in Class 4-2, but this class was also one where he taught substitute classes more often, so everyone was fairly familiar with him. Plus, compared to Ikegaya Isamu, everyone liked Muyue even more.

"Muyue-sensei is watching here—I absolutely have to pass this time!" Might Guy took a deep breath, looking as if he were facing a great enemy.

If Might Guy had to choose between taking a theory exam and fighting a full-fledged chunin, he'd rather go fight a real ninja.

He was graduating next year too. Fighting a real ninja—maybe if he had a burst of power, he might even win. But some theory questions made him panic, and there was no way around them.

"Rin, just wait and see—this time I'll totally overturn your impression of me." Obito whispered proudly.

"This time you'll definitely pass, right? I believe you can do it, Obito." Rin smiled and encouraged him.

Even though Obito had said that countless times and never succeeded, Rin was still willing to believe in him and give him encouragement.

"Try to get the ones you know right, check them several times, and leave the hard problems for last." Rin Nohara said gently to Obito.

As a good friend, she genuinely hoped Obito could shed the title of dead last.

"Mm-hmm." Obito nodded in agreement.

Soon, another proctor entered the classroom—Sugito Kimura, a teacher in the same office as Muyue. A single examination hall was monitored by two teachers.

When the bell rang, Muyue and Sugito Kimura distributed the exam papers together.

Afterwards, the two proctored together—one still, one moving—and occasionally both sat at the lectern to chat for a while.

"I feel sorry for Teacher Ikeya. His bonus for this semester is probably in jeopardy, stuck with two dead lasts." Sugito Kimura sighed quietly.

"Hard to say. Maybe they studied hard this semester and could pass." Muyue smiled and shook his head.

Muyue thought that this time, Obito and Might Gai's performance would shock a lot of people.

"Three consecutive years of theoretical exams without a single pass. If they could pass, they would have long ago. The courses get harder as you go up." Sugito Kimura thought Muyue was too optimistic.

"Good thing they're graduating after this school year. Otherwise…" Kimura Sugito thought that if such students fell into his hands, it would be a real ordeal.

After chatting briefly, Muyue resumed his patrol.

He kind of missed teaching. Because of the exams, the entire ninja school was suspended for three days: the first day for various theoretical exams, the second day for practical combat, and the third day also for practical combat to decide the year's rankings.

For him, these three days off meant practicing several fewer ninjutsu and refining several dozen less chakra.

Fortunately, the disciple reward system still worked. After the theoretical exam, Muyue gave Obito some shuriken, triggering a small burst and gaining fifty chakra.

"Just watch, Teacher Muyue. I'll definitely use the shuriken you gave me to defeat them all and take first place!" Obito said gratefully.

The practical combat exam was about to begin.